Box Score HAMILTON, N.Y. -WSAU
The sixth-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team advanced to the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four after a 4-2 triumph over No. 3 Colgate in the regional final game of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Hockey Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Class of 1965 Arena.
Nicole LaMantia, Casey O’Brien, Vivian Jungels and Laila Edwards each lit the lamp as the Badgers (27-10-2) took down the Raiders (32-6-2) on the road to punch their ticket for the 2023 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. The Badgers will play Minnesota on Friday, March 17 at ASMOIL Arena in the semifinal round of the championship.
LaMantia got the Badgers on the board after taking the puck the full length of the ice before finding the back of the net.
Colgate tied things up with a score early in the second period.
O’Brien answered back, capitalizing on the power play to regain the lead.
Jungels extended the lead on a one-timer, before Edwards scored on an empty net to make it 4-1.
Cami Kronish made 13 saves for her 19th win of the year.
Notes of the Game
-The Badgers move to 4-0-0 in postseason games in New York as Wisconsin won the 2007 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four in Lake Placid, New York.
-The Badgers outshot the Raiders 35-15.
-Wisconsin was able to kill off five penalties successfully against Colgate, the top team in the country for power-play goals.
-Nicole LaMantia and Sophie Shirley played their 175th game for UW, breaking the school record for the most games played for the Cardinal and White.
Straight From the Rink
Head Coach Mark Johnson
On the team’s success so far in the postseason:
“I’m really proud of the group. We had some adversity in the middle part of the season. It’s no different than a lot of the teams I’ve been a part of, either as a player or a coach. It’s a long season and you’re going to have good nights, you’re going to have opportunities to have success and you’re also going to have some adversity. The big thing is how do you navigate through that and how to come out of it in a positive light.”
On standing tough during Colgate’s strong start to the second period:
“We had a good first period, but they’re a proud team. They’ve had a great season and they’re playing in their own building in front of their crowd, so you know they’re going to come and push you. If you score, you get excited and they got excited. They pushed us for the next three or four shifts and we were able to weather that storm and settle things back down.”
Junior Casey O’Brien
On facing Minnesota for the sixth time this season:
“Nothing that happened in the past matters anymore. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve beat them or how many times they’ve beat us, the NCAA playoffs are just such a different game than anything we’ve done before. I think we’re just going to stick to Badger hockey because we have so much confidence that we’re at our best and we can beat any team.”
Freshman Vivian Jungels
On the team playing selflessly:
“It’s do or die. You’re not just playing for yourself, but you’re playing for the people next to you in the locker room and every one of your teammates. You have to make sure that you are doing the most to the best of your ability.”
Up Next: The Badgers will head to their 14th Frozen Four appearance where they will face No. 2 Minnesota for the sixth time this season this Friday, March 17 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minnesota. The semifinal game will either be played at 2:30 p.m. CT or 6 p.m. CT and will broadcast on ESPN+. Tickets are now available online through the NCAA website. 
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